Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1599. Transmigrated to the Central Plains’ Murim (4)

"There's no need for that. This is my child, so I'll raise him myself, Brother."

There was no reason to hesitate because...

[Checking Squirmy's Status Window and Growth Potential.]

[Name: Squirmy]

[Nickname: Squirmy]

[Realm: None]

[Age: 0]

[Nature: None]

[Job: None]

[Job Effects: None]

[Stats]

[Strength: 0 / Growth Limit: Legendary or Higher]

[Agility: 0 / Growth Limit: Legendary or Higher]

[Stamina: 0 / Growth Limit: Epic or Higher]

[Intelligence: 0 / Growth Limit: Mythic or Higher]

[Endurance: 0 / Growth Limit: Epic or Lower]

[Luck - 9 / Growth Limit: Mythic or Higher]

[Internal Energy - 0 / Growth Limit: Mythic or Higher]

[Martial Arts - None]

[Inherited Attributes]

[Eyes of Light and Time - Transcendent Mythic Rank]

[A new type of Mystic Eye born from two Transcendent beings. He has a total of five abilities, of which only two are currently active. Additional abilities will be unlocked as the user grows.]

[1. Sense of Temporal Expansion - Allows the user to partially transcend the absolute concept of time. The Eyes of Light and Time can accelerate or slow the user's perception of time.]

[2. Day and Night - Blessed by both light and shadow. The user may wield both attributes without penalties. Affinity with both attributes is increased without penalties. Both attributes may be used simultaneously without penalties.]

[3. Unavailable. The user's realm is too low.]

[4. Unavailable. The user's realm is too low.]

[5. Unavailable. The user's realm is too low.]

Anyone who saw something like this would never hesitate to become his mother. What more needed to be said when I was already starting to feel genuine anger toward Murong Yul for trying to take Squirmy away from me?

'The hell does this bastard think he's doing? Trying to raise my son himself? What, do you have Mind's Eye, too?'

“...”

'He’s my treasure, damn it... I'm raising him myself...'

Even after looking at it again, I found myself rubbing my eyes in disbelief. No matter how many times I checked, his Intelligence, Luck, and Internal Energy all clearly said Mythic or Higher. Yes, Mythic or Higher, not Legendary or Higher.

‘Mythic or Higher.’ I had never even seen growth limits ranked at Mythic or Higher before.

Even those who were already Transcendents, people like Kim Hyun-Sung, Hee-Ra noona, and Ha-Yan, only had growth limits of Legendary or Higher or Legendary or Lower. In other words, this little guy was truly abnormal.

Ordinary mortals simply weren't born with Mythic potential. Of course, there were people who had surpassed their limits through effort or other means, but strictly speaking, even those three weren’t guaranteed a place among Transcendents since they were born.

However, Squirmy was different.

'This is basically a banner saying Future Transcendent. Seriously...'

I didn't know how long it would take, and I also had no idea when it would happen, but Squirmy was destined to grow at an astonishing rate. A Mythic or Higher rank didn't merely mean an absence of growth limits. It also affected growth speed.

He could become a Transcendent without putting in much effort at all.

'He's literally born with a Mythic spoon in his mouth. This is ridiculous...'

On top of that, every stat except Stamina and Endurance was at least Legendary. That Epic or Lower Endurance and Epic or Higher Stamina were probably unavoidable side effects of inheriting the Murong Clan’s blood, but fortunately, Agility and Strength were both Legendary or Higher.

Just seeing that much was enough to leave me speechless, but...

'It's still not over. This is the real thing...'

The Transcendent Mythic rank inherited trait was enough to make me question whether I was dreaming—Eyes of Light and Time.

'Eye traits were always broken... That's just how eye traits are supposed to be...'

Even what I could see on the surface was absurdly overpowered. A single trait came with five separate abilities. Three of them were still locked because Squirmy's level was too low, but the remaining two alone were enough to leave me staring in shock.

The ability called Sense of Temporal Expansion was especially unbelievable because I would experience something similar myself from time to time.

The ability to slow down one’s perception of time was absurdly broken, as a fleeting instant for everyone else could feel like several minutes.

“...”

“...”

'And the really terrifying part is that there might be more ridiculous abilities hidden behind those locked slots.’

Eyes of Light and Time could mean both light and shadow; it also referred to time or the passing years. The whole thing was technically just a play on words, but after seeing the Temporal Expansion ability with my own eyes, it no longer felt like a mere pun.

If even one of the remaining three abilities turned out to be related to time, it would be like hitting the lottery. The ability to use two attributes without any penalties also sounded so absurdly broken that there was little more to say.

Of course, the secondary attribute, Day and Night, was hardly ordinary either. I could swap between Sacrifice and Revival, Lust and Eternal Slumber, the Alchemist of Light, and the Plaguelord, but this tiny little baby could wield two attributes simultaneously without suffering any penalties whatsoever.

'Even Cheon Kwan-Wi's son isn’t in the same league as this little guy...'

That kid’s Mistification and Mist Arrow abilities looked pitifully mortal compared to the Eyes of Light and Time. Honestly, comparing the two of them felt almost disrespectful to our little Squirmy. As delighted and fascinated as I was by this discovery...

'Come on, how the hell did this kid end up being born like this?'

The same question kept circling through my mind. There was no way a mere gacha pull between Murong Hwa-Yeon and the Jin Family's wastrel could produce an SSR-tier baby. Mind's Eye had explicitly stated that he was born from two Transcendents, which meant that the souls inhabiting these bodies had to have influenced the result.

I could understand the child being affected by me, as I was the one who gave birth to him, but it made no sense that the Jin Family's wastrel, whose role had ended long ago, could have had such an influence behind.

In the end, the only explanation was that something had gone wrong somewhere. I had no idea how any of this was possible, but...

'Well, whatever. Good is good.'

Naturally, my desire to research this topic surged.

'Should I secretly collect some of Commander Jin's DNA or something?'

“...”

'A homunculus research project doesn't sound bad either. At this level, it's worth pursuing even if it doesn't pay off. The Black Magic Tower is already being built anyway. It'll also be easy enough to cut ties if things go wrong...'

“...”

'If I make just three hundred more kids like this little guy, I could probably turn an entire dimension upside down...'

“...”

Of course, this wasn't the time to sit around wondering how something like this had even happened in the first place. Likewise, I didn't have the luxury of seriously considering my dream homunculus research project either.

If I had been at an alchemy workshop on the continent, I would have started drawing up some plans by now, but in the Twelfth Dimension, I had neither the time nor the resources for that kind of research.

More importantly, alchemy didn't even exist in this world, so there was no way to conduct such research in the first place. It was easier to accept that it had happened because it was meant to happen and move on.

This little guy could have been a miracle born by chance, but what mattered now was that he had the potential to become the future of the Twelfth Dimension. Besides, I had plenty of things to do.

'I've got to raise him like the precious treasure he is. There can't be a single flaw in him, not one. I'll make sure he gets a proper upbringing. I'll raise him so that just thinking about his mom brings tears to his eyes.

‘I'll get in touch with his father, find him a decent cultivation method, and have Ah-Young make him a weapon when she gets here. I can't have him growing up ignorant either, so he'll be studying his letters from an early age.'

Naturally, I shoved aside Murong Yul, who was trying to take Squirmy away, and looked down at my precious little treasure again. Perhaps my face looked unexpectedly wistful, as the attendants hurriedly placed Squirmy back into my arms. Strangely enough, they even looked somewhat moved.

It seemed Murong Hwa-Yeon had always treated the attendants kindly enough, but she had also kept them at a distance, so none of them had expected her to hold the baby again.

Considering that she remained completely expressionless the first time she held him, their reaction was understandable.

However, my face now looked different. I had a hint of affection, a touch of guilt, and a sudden sense of responsibility. I also expressed a determination to become a mother that this child would never be ashamed of. In any case, the Murong Hwa-Yeon of the future would be very different from the Murong Hwa-Yeon of the past, so it made sense to start acting like someone who had just undergone a profound awakening.

"My lady..."

"Heuk... heuk... My lady..."

"M-My lady..."

I needed to show them that this tiny child had changed Murong Hwa-Yeon.

'Pause for a beat.'

"This... child..."

'Pause for another.'

"..."

After meeting my brother's eyes with all the sincerity and conviction I could muster, I continued, saying, "I will raise him myself."

Naturally, this wasn’t welcome news for Murong Yul, who loved his younger sister dearly. He could be grateful that the child had finally brought Murong Hwa-Yeon to her senses, but at the same time, he probably saw the child as a burden that could hinder Murong Hwa-Yeon, who had decided to embark on a new path.

If it were up to him, he would likely prefer that Murong Hwa-Yeon forget about the child, start a new life, marry into a good family, experience all the good things the world had to offer, and live happily.

After seeing the unwavering determination in my eyes, he reluctantly nodded and said, "Very well. If that is truly your wish... then I’ll fully support you. I'll speak to Father on your behalf as well.”

"No." I declined and said, "I'll speak to him myself, Brother.”

'No point dragging this out. Better to settle things once and for all.'

"Do you truly mean that? Are you saying you'll meet Father in person?" he asked. It seemed that Murong Hwa-Yeon and the Murong Clan Head hadn't even met face-to-face since the incident.

'They're both unbelievably stubborn. Neither of them knows how to give an inch.'

Murong Yul revealed an indescribable face, looking as if he couldn't decide whether to be happy or worried. Still, he nodded. There was no telling how any of this would turn out, but he seemed hopeful that there could be some progress in the relationship between the father and daughter.

He looked like someone who wanted to see us together once more.

"Good. You've made the right decision. F-For now, focus on recovering. I'll speak to Father first and test the waters. You'll have your own preparations to make as well... and you'll need to take care of the child, too," he suggested.

"..."

"Of course, I know you won't like that. Knowing your personality, you'd probably run straight to him this instant if you could, but everything has to be done in order, right? I'm only saying this because I'm worried about your health. For now... won't you trust me and wait a little longer?" he asked.

"..."

"..."

"Okay, I'll do as you say, Brother," I answered.

"You really mean that? You've made a wise choice. A very wise choice... Yes. Since things have turned out this way, we should also discuss the child's name within the clan..." he suggested.

"I've already chosen a name," I told him.

"..."

"Jin-Cheon," I said.

"..."

"The character Jin and the character Cheon[1]. He shall be called Murong Jin-Cheon," I added.

'From this day on, the whole world will whisper your name.'

"I see... Murong Jin-Cheon. So your name is Murong Jin-Cheon."

I hugged the still-squirming little baby tightly. I acted as though I had vowed to raise him with every comfort imaginable and shower him with endless love, but...

"..."

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

'Even his lungs are Mythic rank or higher, damn it...'

"WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

'Damn it. Squirmy... stop squirming around. At the very least, you've got to drink your mother’s milk. It's basically miracle medicine. Come on, you've never even touched a bottle before, so why are you suddenly behaving like this?'

"WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"

"D-Damn it... damn it..."

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"

It didn't take long for me to realize that raising a child was anything but easy.

1. Jin 殄 and Cheon 天 ☜